Two-thirds of high net worth UK individuals surveyed by Ledbury Research with at least £3 million or more found more than a third (38 per cent) of them work full-time and just under a quarter (23 per cent) are self-employed, this publication can exclusively report.

More than a third (38 per cent) of  UK individuals surveyed by Ledbury Research with at least £3 million ($4.9 million) work full-time and just under a quarter (23 per cent) are self-employed, this publication can exclusively report.

“Our profile of the upper-end of the wealthy population shows just how economically active and entrepreneurial these individuals really are. The wealthy don’t come busier than those with £3 million or more, which is something that those who try to get some of their time know very well,” comments Stuart Rutherford, Research Director at Ledbury Research.

The research draws on the organisation’s annual survey of 500 wealthy clients in the UK conducted earlier in the year.

The population of high net worth persons is noticeably younger than other wealthy clients, with nearly half aged under 55 and 17 per cent aged under 45, the report said. Such people have been able to accumulate wealth at a relatively early age because of the disproportionate importance that sources of wealth such as the sale of a business or large bonuses play.

Matching patterns in other nations, this population segment in the UK is more exposed to risk than the rest of the wealthy population. Nearly one-quarter of them say that they have 50 per cent or more of their entire portfolio invested in risky assets, which is radically higher than the less wealthy. Relatively popular asset classes for them are stocks and shares and alternative investments.

Ledbury finds that they are twice as likely to make use of offshore services than other wealthy clients – some 41 per cent of the HNW population currently use these.